EXTENSIVE testing is continuing following a landslip in McCrae with a total of 20 homes having now been evacuated.
Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Anthony Marsh confirmed it could be weeks if not months before homeowners returned to their properties as the site was yet to be deemed safe, adding it “remains a complex and evolving issue” and the “risk of further landslides is unknown”.
“We assure the community that we are diligently investigating the source and cause of the landslide, with community and site safety a priority. We are in direct contact with affected residents and homeowners and will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available,” he said.
Cr Marsh said the shire is working closely with the State Emergency Service (SES) and other agencies, noting an exclusion zone remained in place while “extensive testing continues”. However one of the agencies involved, South East Water, which was investigating reports of water surfacing in McCrae, confirmed last week that “the preliminary data from these tests indicate the water is not from South East Water’s network”. “We’re working closely with Mornington Peninsula Shire and the SES to identify the cause of the landslip and take any necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the community,” South East Water’s of service delivery general manager Tim Lloyd said in a statement.
Initially 15 homes had been evacuated, but this increased to 20 last week. The shire, along with Cr Marsh, held a community meeting in Dromana with residents affected by the landslide on 22 January. In a statement, Cr Marsh sought to clarify incorrect information that the council received $250,000 from the state government’s Council Support Fund to assist with landslide relief and recovery efforts.
“The $250,000 was in fact for costs associated with the Mornington Peninsula storm event from February 2024,” he said. “This week we requested financial support from the government to assist our community with the McCrae incident and I inadvertently linked today’s funding announcement with the landslide. I apologise for this misunderstanding.”
Marsh said CCTV cameras, including those with licence plate recognition technology, had been installed around the site on 24 January. In a statement, Victoria Police said officers “have been and will continue to be active in the area of McCrae”. “Victoria Police encourages members of the public who witness any suspicious activity or persons inside the exclusion zone at McCrae to ring 000 immediately.”
Point Nepean Rd opened last Friday with a speed reduction of 40km/h in place between 579 and 641 Point Nepean Rd. Cr Marsh said the council is working with the SES to transition the management of the site “from response to recovery to the Mornington Peninsula Shire”.
As reported in last week’s edition of The News, a landslip occurred in McCrae in 2022, with evacuated residents still having not returned to their homes.
First published in the Mornington News 28 January 2025
